The present invention relates to tire molds. More particularly, it relates to an apparatus and process for changing a sidewall insert of a tire mold.
It is well known that sidewalls of tires bear a large number of markings which may include: a manufacturer identification; a trademark; markings identifying the type of tire; size; loading ratings; and speed capability. Typically, these markings are molded onto the sidewall of the tire as the tire is cured in a tire mold using cut-outs or raised portions corresponding to the markings on the mold.
Typical tire molding equipment may comprise a typical clam shell type mold having a top and bottom mold sections or alternatively comprise a segmented type mold having individual tread mold segments fastened on the opposing upper mold frame and/or lower mold frames. In molds of these types, as the sidewall information or characteristics of the tire changes, a mold having different sidewall information is used. Heretofore, replacing the tire sidewall molds involved a labor intensive mold dismantling procedure which resulted in considerable production time losses.
Heretofore, sidewall mold inserts have been secured through attachment means which engage the sidewall mold inserts from the base of the mold frame. As a result, the entire mold was removed from the curing press and disassembled whenever a new sidewall mold plate was required. The disassembly required several hours to complete with the attendant loss of production. In accordance with this invention, it has been found that by attaching the mold sidewall inserts to the mold frame in a manner accessible from the mold interior, the changeover time for removing a sidewall insert and replacing with a new insert may be considerably reduced. Further, the tooling expense of a new mold, coupled with the costly changeover time, limited the availability of customized private label branding. Accordingly, there is room for improvement and variation within the art.